Semiconductor material-based components emitting or indeed receiving electromagnetic radiation have found widespread industrial application and many uses in everyday life. Common semiconductor materials may be divided roughly into two classes: organic and inorganic semiconductor materials. Organic semiconductor materials may be produced relatively inexpensively and applied comparatively simply to a carrier. Furthermore, organic semiconductor materials offer the possibility, relative to inorganic materials, of providing in principle very large-area, light-emitting or indeed light-receiving arrangements.
Conventional organic- and inorganic-based light-emitting diodes are operated with direct current. However, normal mains networks only supply alternating current. To operate an LED with mains voltage it is therefore necessary to use additional elements, such as for example rectifier circuits. However, the use of direct current makes it impossible or very difficult to exploit the advantages associated with alternating current, such as for example simple voltage transformation.